Dream Theater ballads

[bosk1]

I almost always prefer the heavier DT songs to the lighter ones.  But I was thinking this morning, just going album by album, that although there are a lot of DT ballads that I don't care for, there are also quite a few that I like.  I remember being pretty surprised back when ADTOE came out and had so many strong ballads.  So, let's discuss and show the love for the lighter side of DT in this thread.

Album by album, here are my takes:

I&W:  Wait for Sleep is outstanding.  Definitely up in the top half of the album along with Pull Me Under, Metropolis, and Learning To Live.

Awake:  no

FII:  TAMP is another outstanding one.  I hope I get to hear it live someday.  Anna Lee isn't bad either, but I wouldn't put it nearly as high up as TAMP.  Hollow Years...no.

SFAM:  TSCO has been played so much that I feel burned out on it.  But I still have to recognize it as a pretty great song.

SDOIT:  Disappear isn't really a "ballad," but I'll include it.  REALLY strong song.

TOT:  Same with Vacant.  It doesn't quite reach the emotional height and depths of Disappear, but still really solid.  Took me awhile to warm up to it.

Octavarium:  no

SC:  Doesn't really have one.

BCSL:  no

ADTOE:  All three are really solid.  Beneath the Surface is one of my favorite tracks on the album, and the other two aren't bad either.  Far from Heaven might be my least favorite song on the album.  But it is an album where I really like every song, so...

DT12:  I love that Along for the Ride is never really sure whether it wants to be a ballad, an anthem, or something else.  But it is outstanding.  One of my favorites on the album.

TA:  Chosen is the real standout here.

D/T:  Out of Reach is another solid one.  I know most haven't heard it yet, but it features some really beautiful piano by Jordan and some really uplifting lyrics that take a very dark turn.

[Dream Team]

I agree with all your choices. Anna Lee, Far From Heaven are definitely ones I don’t care for. But I do like Wither. Is Lifting Shadows a ballad? I like that one a lot.

[SeRoX]

WDADU: None
I&W: Wait For Sleep. I mean, I&W kind of complex and energetic album. Among the others WFS is kind of breathing moment.
Awake: None
FII: Take Away My Pain, one of the most underrated song ever.
SFAM: Through Her Eyes, a soft touch and kind of opener to the madness. I can't feel TSCO that much like the most.
SDOIT: Disappear, their one and only touching song ever.
ToT: None
Octavarium: Can I be a bad boy and add "Razor's Edge" section here.
SC: None
BC&SL: None
ADTOE: Beneath The Surface, but mostly due to James' vocals, not a fan of piano arragements.
DT: None
TA: Chosen
DOT: Out Of Reach. I don't hear it myself but it seems it's the only ballad on a heavy album so I think I'm going to love it.

[MirrorMask]

IMAGES - All three solid pieces, for different reasons. Wait for Sleep is a little delicate gem (I used to sing it back at singing school), Another Day is the most classic "ballad" even though it doesn't sound so outdated, and Surrounded is a mini epic that has a glorious ending, both bombastic and then calm with its quite outro. "Tonight I'll still be lying here surrounded....." and the audience completes "... in aaaaaall the liiiight" is a breathtaking moment live.

AWAKE: Love, love, love The Silent Man AND Space Dye Vest. The big, grandiose, melanchonic DT piano ballad. Lifting Shadows is ok but the other two are way better.

FALLING: Hollow Years and, allow me to cheat, Speak to me are the best ones.

SCENES: Probably I'm in the minority but I consider Through Her Eyes absolutely gorgeous and one of their best ballads. Spirit is overplayed, yes, but as emotional climax of the album is awesome and almost tears inducing. Safe in the light that surrounds me...... VICTORIA IS REAL, I FINALLY FEEL.... God the feels.

SIX DEGREES: Disappear is gut wrenching but beautiful, eerie and delicate. Another masterpiece that I hope gets brought back soon.

TRAIN: Vacant is cool but too short. Endless Sacrifice's slow parts are wonderful.

OCTAVARIUM: I don't feel much Answer and Sacrificed Sons is ruined by a meandering solo section.

BLACK CLOUDS: Wither is absolutely wonderful. Concise, to the point but still heartfelt and with many nice little touches like the piano / vocals only part of "I wither and render myself helpless" before the solo starts. Amazing song. Fight me, I'm not afraid.

DRAMATIC: Never cared for This is the Life, Far from Heaven is quite cool and unexpected from them, but even if it's relatively simple, I love Beneath the Surface. Great lyrics and atmosphere. I'll always remember the first time I heard it - the final chorus comes, James sings softly "Until one day I stopped caring..." and I thought to myself "Mh, ok, he could have really sang the last chorus higher" and then he goes AND BEGAN TO FORGET WHY I LONGED TO BE SO CLOSE and I was like "Yes! yes! yeeees!!!!".... amazing moment.

DREAM THEATER: Along for the Ride is cool but it didn't have staying power with me. Forgettable.

ASTONISHING: Favorite slow songs are The Answer, When your Time has Come and Chosen.

[bosk1]

Is Lifting Shadows a ballad? I like that one a lot.

Well, that's the thing with DT.  Even their "straightforward" songs often don't fit into a straightforward category.  So I think we have to be a bit flexible with our terms.  I mean, that doesn't mean that every song on TA that has a soft part and a buildup is a ballad.  But there are lots of songs that lie somewhere in the middle.

WDADU: None

Yeah, I forgot to say why I wasn't including that album, but it should be obvious.

SFAM: Through Her Eyes, a soft touch and kind of opener to the madness.

It's a good song.  I just didn't include it because, subjectively, it feels more like an interlude to me than a complete song. 

...and Surrounded is a mini epic that has a glorious ending, both bombastic and then calm with its quite outro. "Tonight I'll still be lying here surrounded....." and the audience completes "... in aaaaaall the liiiight" is a breathtaking moment live.

I don't really consider Surrounded to be a ballad.  It absolutely has a soft intro and outro.  But the meat of the song is very anthemy.    But I wouldn't have included it on my list anyway because I'm just not crazy about the song, however we classify it.  It isn't bad, but I just don't get into it.

ASTONISHING: Favorite slow songs are The Answer, When your Time has Come and Chosen.

Yeah, I thought about The Answer as well.  Only reason I did not include it on my list is, similar to Through Her Eyes, it feels more like an interlude than a complete song to me.

[goo-goo]

My favorite is Disappear. Not necessarily a ballad but it has this haunting feeling that I like a lot.

[the_silent_man]

Not huge on most of their latest ballads, but album by album:

WDADU: None
I&W: Wait for Sleep rules, Surrounded rules, Another Day is great but probably the weakest on the album
Awake: As you can tell by my user name, I ADORE The Silent Man, and Space Dye Vest is amazing too.
FII: Hollow years is outstanding, especially the extended live version.
SFAM: Spirit is a classic. Overplayed, but it doesn't stop it from being an amazing song with one of Petrucci's best solos.
SDOIT: Disappear, very different song for them.
TOT: Vacant is underrated, a lot of genuine emotion

From here it gets patchy and the ballads become more cheesy/cringy. On most of the following albums, the ballads are usually the weakest tracks for me.

8VM: None really do it for me
SC: None
BC&SL: Wither is nice, but nothing special
ADTOE: All 3 are good-great actually. Beneath the Surface is outstanding.
DT: Not a fan of Along for the Ride, too cheesy
Astonishing: None a huge fan of any, The X Aspect probably the best one though - again all are just way too cheesy/ saccharine.
D/T: Without even hearing it, I would imagine I'm going to enjoy Out of Reach the least, but I'll keep an open mind.

[lovethedrake]

I actually love Anna lee. Also the bridge in take away my pain is simply amazing but the rest of the song is mediocre.

[KevShmev]

Ballads meaning the lighter or mellower songs, they have many great ones.

All of the lighter ones from I&W, Scenes and Awake are awesome.

I am also really high on Take Away My Pain (FII version), This Is the Life, Chosen, Hollow Years, Far from Heaven and Disappear.

Least favorite would be Along for the Ride.  I don't dislike it, but it's just kinda there (when comparing it to other ballads as well the rest of DT12).

[adamack]

Hollow Years, Beneath The Surface, TSCO, SDV, Anna Lee and Wait For Sleep  round off my top 6.

Fantastic live versions (LSFNY) have helped The Spirit Carries On, well, carry on through the years, and the song still gives me goosebumps after 20 years.

As for least favs, probably Far From Heaven and the vocal parts of Goodnigt Kiss. Just never did anything for me melodically.

[DTA]

Speak To Me and Disappear are their best ballads imo. Extremely emotive songs with great lyrics and a real emphasis on atmosphere and mood.

[pg1067]

I&W:  Wait for Sleep is great, although I really consider it to be a prelude or intro to LTL.  I liked Another Day when the album came out, but I don't listen to it much anymore.

Awake:  Is LSOAD a "ballad"?  I think it's a great song.  I like Space-Dye Vest too.  It's unique in a lot of ways.

FII:  Hollow Years and Anna Lee are two of my favorite songs on what I've said many times is a mediocre album.  TAMP...meh.

SFAM:  TSCO is the only one worth considering on its own.  Everything on the album works well in the context of the work as a whole, but I would never go out of my way to listen to TSCO by itself.

SDOIT:  No.

TOT:  Vacant is cool.  When I listen to TOT, I'll typically listen to As I Am and then skip to Endless Sacrifice and then to Vacant, or sometimes I'll skip directly from AIA to Vacant.

8VA:  I like The Answer Lies Within fine, but I don't go out of my way to listen to it.

SC:  Does Repentance count?  I don't like it, haven't listened to it in years, and probably won't ever voluntarily do so.

BC&SL:  Wither is probably my second favorite song on this album.  Great song.

ADTOE:  The only one I really like is Beneath the Surface.  Haven't listened to the other two in quite a while.

DT12:  I like Along for the Ride a lot.

For the reason I've mentioned umpteen times, I'm not including TA.

[Cool Chris]

Too lazy to do this album by album or write about each one.

Top picks:
Disappear - One of my favorite DT songs
Beneath the Surface - Likewise
Space-Dye Vest - Liked it from the first listen
Vacant - Solid interlude-type song

Good songs that I don't particularly fawn over:
Wither
Wait for Sleep

Bottom picks:
Take Away My Pain - Just not a good song in a stretch of not good music on a not good album
This is the Life - Not a bad song really, but a weaker song that keeps ADtoE from being nearly flawless
Surrounded - liked it much with I&W came out, hasn't aged well like Another Day

[Lonk]

I am suprised at the lack of love for "These Walls". It's one of the songs I constantly revisit from 8V. Here are some of my favorites:

Wait for sleep
Through Her eyes
These Walls
Goodnight Kiss (Does it count?)
This is the life (Ballad?)
Wither
and most of the others mentioned here.

[Adami]

I am suprised at the lack of love for "These Walls". It's one of the songs I constantly revisit from 8V. Here are some of my favorites:

Wait for sleep
Through Her eyes
These Walls
Goodnight Kiss (Does it count?)
This is the life (Ballad?)
Wither
and most of the others mentioned here.

I don't think too many people consider These Walls a ballad. It just has softer verses.

SDV, Anna Lee, Wait for Sleep, and Through Her Eyes are all great. The rest, less so.

[goo-goo]

Speak To Me and Disappear are their best ballads imo. Extremely emotive songs with great lyrics and a real emphasis on atmosphere and mood.

Shit, forgot about Speak to Me. I prefer the Unplugged version vs the studio...but overall this would be my 1st-2nd favorite ballad besides Disappear.

[bosk1]

I am suprised at the lack of love for "These Walls". It's one of the songs I constantly revisit from 8V

As Adami pointed out, it isn't lack of "love."  It just isn't remotely a ballad.

Goodnight Kiss (Does it count?)

Even going by the really vague criteria of what constitutes a "ballad" in the DT discography, I wasn't including a soft part of a song.  If the song isn't a ballad, a soft part really isn't.  But that said, if you want to include it, I can't tell you not to. 

[JLa]

I'll just namedrop "Eve" because nobody has mentioned it.

Eve 

[RoeDent]

As we're showing love and appreciation for these songs...

Anna Lee is a wonderful track.

This is the Life is a wonderful track.

The Answer Lies Within is a wonderful track.

All DT's songs are wonderful tracks, but these ones in this particular context of this particular thread stand out.

[jayvee3]

Wait for Sleep, Anna Lee, Through Her Eyes, Disappear, Far From Heaven, Along For the Ride, The Answer and Chosen are my picks. I really enjoy many of the ballads on the solo albums from JLB too, and think he does a great job of so many of the ballads. Anna Lee is one of my very faves, and along with Through Her Eyes, am always surprised by the amount of negative opinions of. All good tho, different strokes. The Answer is potentially one of the most underrated due to its length. Short yes, but a gorgeous piece...

[Ninjabait]

I guess I'm in the minority who actually just love ballads when they're done right. It hasn't always been that way tho, and I used to be hard in the "the heavier the better" camp. But I guess my tastes have softened (or broadened) over the years so now I can appreciate the softer stuff too. My favorite ballads, by album:

WD&DU: Not really a fan of this album in general.
I&W: Wait for Sleep is fantastic, and I really like Surrounded too. It has such a great musical theater rock vibe to me. Another Day I don't care for much.
Awake: I don't really come back to this one that often, but Lifting Shadows and Space-Dye Vest are two that I usually spin when I do.
FII: Anna Lee and Hollow Years are top tier DT ballads imo (especially the Budokan version of Hollow Years...mmm yes). Hell's Kitchen too if you want to count that. Take Away My Pain is nice, but I don't listen to it that often.
SFaM: Yes.
SDoIT: Goodnight Kiss is fantastic, as is Disappear. If Misunderstood counts, then that one too.
ToT: Vacant's more of a prelude than a stand-alone song, but it's still great.
8varium: Yes.
SC: Does Ministry of Lost Souls count as a ballad? Because if not, this one is seriously lacking in the ballad department. Repentance is easily their worst song imo
BC&SL: Wither is decent. I don't love it.
ADToE: Yes.
DT12: The Bigger Picture is one of my favorite DT songs period. Along for the Ride is fine as well.
TA: ALL of them on Disc 1. The Disc 2 ballads are probably the weakest part of the album for sure, but Heaven's Cove (if you count it) and Begin Again are nice. Whispers on the Wind and Losing Faythe are hands down the weakest tracks on the album tho.

[EPIC Outro]

Some of my favorite songs are Dream Theater's haunting, atmospheric tracks.

A Vision '89 is a real gem that deserves the James Labrie treatment, even though I love Dominici's take on it. Space Dye Vest is a song that really clicked with me, and will always be a favorite. So glad I got to see it live. Lifting Shadows Off A Dream is one of my top ten DT tunes. I remember my sister and I first hearing Hollow Years on the Once in a Live Time release and both really enjoying it. Goodnight Kiss is somehow both touching and chilling. In college, I made a short film inspired by Vacant. The synth solo in Beneath the Surface is wonderful, The Bigger Picture is a beautiful and unique later era DT song. A Life Left Behind and My Last Farewell fit their concept wonderfully and can be enjoyed on their own as well. But my all time favorite DT ballad is Disappear. When it comes to haunting atmosphere, I have never heard a song do it better.

[Herrick]

There are few I really like but then again I'm not a ballad-type mang. This Is The Life from A Dramatic Turn of Events is one of my favorites. Can't really say why. I just like it a lot.

Actually yeah, Wait For Sleep is really good too. I also like Along For The Ride from the self-titled album. Yeah.

[TheLordOfTheStrings]

SFAM: Through Her Eyes, a soft touch and kind of opener to the madness.

It's a good song.  I just didn't include it because, subjectively, it feels more like an interlude to me than a complete song. 

That's interesting. I always thought of Through Her Eyes as a complete song. Through Her Words on the other hand...

[Lax]

I agree with lots of you and don't feel the courage to list everything like you, but as some highlights, there are many moving songs from DT
Another day is gut ripping, TSCO and through her eyes are too, vacant, this is the life...It's rare for a metal band to write several excellent ballads.
Silent man and hollow years are good...
In the astonishing, I've been mainly struck by intense songs like last farewell or hymn of a thousand voices.

I won't talk about LTE instrumental ones

But honestly as a six degrees fan, disappear is great, misunderstood first part is cool, but the song over all their discography that ripped the most tears from me was goodnight kiss, just blast it to my face after a long day at work and I'll look like a puppy waiting for adoption

[ThatOneGuy2112]

Honestly, the ballads on a given DT album could be a highlight of the record, just depends on the album and song itself. Not all of these I would staright-away classify as "ballads", but are at least typically the least metal, softest songs on the album.

I&W: Wait For Sleep. Pretty obvious choice but it really is fantastic and beautiful and gorgeous. Ballad or not, is one of my favorite DT songs in general.

Awake: Space-Dye Vest, naturally. Another obvious choice, but such a stand-out "DT" song.

FII: Hollow Years is really the only one here I enjoy quite a bit. It's just so catchy and emotionally gripping at points, I can't ignore it.

SFAM: Pretty much all of the ballads on here are great, but if I had to go with one, I'd go with Through Her Eyes. Such a sad tear-jerker, and a perfect closing out of the first act before the story picks up again.

6DOIT: This one's a bit tricky. Does Disappear count? Cause either way it's a great song. An emotionally devastating dirge of a track. If we were to separate the title track into its parts, then Goodnight Kiss is a good contender as well.

ToT: Vacant. Similar to how I feel about Disappear, I love how it serves as a dark, despondent prelude to Stream of Consciousness.

8V: I Walk Beside You. I can already see the eyebrows being raised.  Probably not the softest cut on 8V, but it is my favorite of that category. Kinda like with Hollow Years, I adore some of the catchy hooks on here as well as some of the more contemporary instrumental choices.

SC: Closest thing that fits in this category would be Repentance. Which I like just fine if it were cut down a few minutes. I'd love to include Ministry of Lost Souls were it not for that gaudy instrumental section.

BC&SL: Wither is decent I suppose, in spite of it just being "Writer's Block: The Song".

ADTOE: The 3 ballads here I like more or less equally, but I'd have to give it to This Is the Life by a smidge. I don't feel real strongly about any of them, but they're just fine.

DT12: Again, don't feel too strongly about the ballad on here. I hardly go out of my way to listen to it on it's own, not in context with the rest of the album. Could we count the hidden track at the end of Illumination Theory?

TA: To be honest, I couldn't be bothered to seek out a favorite ballad on here with the over abundance of them on this album, none of which left any impression on me when they start to blend together.

[erwinrafael]

Top three DT ballads for me:

Chosen
Disappear
Vacant

[The Curious Orange]

Generally speaking I prefer the ballads when they're not over-produced. Wither, for example, is an excellent song, as anyone who's heard the piano version will testify. But that should have been on the album - the full production album version is just too much. Same for The Answer Lies Within
For some of their ballads, the big production works, eg: Surrounded, Lifting Shadows, but by and large it doesn't.

Ballads that work - Wait for Sleep, Silent Man, Spirit Carries On, Beneath the Surface, Chosen
Ballads that don't - Afterlife, Innocence Faded, Disappear, This is the Life

[MirrorMask]

Ballads that don't - Afterlife, Innocence Faded

Wat

[erciccio]

Top three DT ballads for me:

Chosen
Disappear
Vacant

THIS!
+ Wait for Sleep for me..

[Pettor]

I&W: Wait for Sleep is a nice song. Works even better as prelude to Learning to Live. I never go back to listen to it by itself but it has a strong and great melody.

Awake: Let's say LSOAD is a ballad just to give it some always well deserved credit. Top quality! I am huge fan of Space-Dye Vest as well. Emotional and atmospheric track that really gets me. The piano intro is amaaaaaaaaazing and the "I will never be open again" part is just heart wrenching. Specially live actually.

FII: Hollow Years only. This song got a lot better on Budokan but it's a nice solid ballad. Demo version with the extra part to the verse is really good as well! Kinda wished they gone with that one.

SFAM: Why does no one give credit to Through my Words? Ok not really a song even, but awesome piano interlude! Through my Eyes is a solid ballad and specially nice if you listen to SFAM from start to finish, since it needs the break there. The Spirit Carries On is really good! Specially on Score where everything just amplified. The climax is amazing for this song.

SDOIT: Disappear is really fantastic. James often writes good emotional lyrics and this one a stab right into the gut. Love what Rudess does for the song as well. One of my favorites! I also want to count in Goodnight Kiss because of how amazing that track is!

TOT: Vacant is great! Once again. James is so good at these emotional songs. Hard to keep the tears away from the Score version where everything is very personal and emotional.

Octavarium: The Answer Lies Within is a quite weak ballad to be honest. On Score it was better but still it doesn't fulfill much, it's just kinda stable and a bit boring

SC: None to be found I guess.

BC&SL: Wither is a strong song imo. Nice chorus and bridge is yummy!

ADTOE: One of the albums where light side is maybe stronger that dark side. The ballads here are great! Far From Heaven is great going into BAI and once again, I love these songs where James and Rudess (or keyboardist at the time) can take more space and go a bit more emotional. Beneath The Surface is one of the best ballads they have done. Such a great song!

DT12: Along For The Ride is sadly one of the few songs I can call filler from Dream Theater.

TA: Hrmmmmm. I kinda really like The Answer actually. Short and beautiful song. The X Aspect is most likely my favorite ballad in some way. It has a lot of really great things going for it like the Rudess piano intro and the bagpipe ending.

All in all I really like the ballads of Dream Theater.

Top 3 in no order (LSOAD and Goodnight Kiss not included since well, they are not true ballads?):
Disappear
Beneath The Surface
Space-Dye Vest

[Dream Team]

Ballads that don't - Afterlife, Innocence Faded

Wat

The Dark Eternal Night and The Glass Prison are my favorite ballads.

[BeardedGentlemanHistorian]

IAW - Wait For Sleep. I can't help but find it a bit funny that DT is known for 1) long songs and 2) epic riffs yet a simple ballad consisting of nothing but piano and vocals became a fan favorite.
Awake: The Silent Man. A solid song. Not my favorite but I never skip it either. Space Dye Vest is the standout ballad on this album.
FII: I like Hollow Years. Anna Lee is one of my least favorite DT songs. It just never clicked with me.
SFAM: Through Her Eyes. A great intermission.
SDOIT: Disappear. I liked this one since the first time I heard it. Everything about it clicks. The lyrics, the music, the atmosphere. It's also gained a special meaning to me since my mom died last August.
ToT: Vacant. I feel the same about this as I do Disappear.
8VM: The ballad were the weak point of this album.
SC: Repentance is the closest I can think of for this albums ballad. It's also my least favorite DT song of any type.
BC&SL: Wither. I really enjoy this one. IMO, it's very underrated.
ADTOE: Far From Heaven is an enjoyable, slightly above average, ballad. Beneath the Surface is beautiful and a top DT track for me.
DT12: Along For The Ride.

[The Curious Orange]

I see both Afterlife and Innocence Faded as attempts at taking quite nice songs, and over-producing them into something resembling 80s style power ballads. Which is why they don't work for me.

[EPIC Outro]

I have never in my life considered Afterlife a ballad.